


a collection of little lives

by mysterywoozi (writers_haven)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Inspired by Call the Midwife, M/M, Multi, Slice of Life, i mean it's really only ABO to facilitate the birth-giving thing, midwife au, so if u are squeamish please move on, yes that means childbirth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23376112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writers_haven/pseuds/mysterywoozi
Summary: Her brother tightens his grip on her hand, worried. “Gyeolie? What is it, what’s wrong?”“Your sister is in labour,” Seungkwan tells him, already yanking the lever to push Sofia’s seat as far back as it can go.“Labour?” the brother yelps. “You’repregnant?!”Seungkwan ignores him. “Sofia-ssi, we’re going to get you through this, alright? Now, I’m going to need to take a look between your legs just to make sure everything’s progressing smoothly–”“Whoa, hey, excuse you!” The brother reaches over and pushes Seungkwan away roughly, glaring. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, man?”Seungkwan’s patience snaps. “Your sister is about to give birth in her car in the middle of a tiny dirt road miles away from any medical facilities, and I am the midwife who is going to do everything in my power to make sure she and her baby make it through this safely!” he snaps at the brother, impatient. “Now be quiet and let me do my work.”
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon
Comments: 12
Kudos: 82





	a collection of little lives

**Author's Note:**

> (title taken from a quote by nicholas sparks)

Seungkwan hums to himself cheerily as he cycles to the Kang residence. It’s a beautiful day– late spring, so it’s pleasantly warm, and the narrow dirt road he’s cycling on is lined with wildflowers in every colour imaginable. Birds sing sweetly at each other in the trees around him. His tools rattle gently in the bag he’s attached to the back of his bicycle.

The Kangs live halfway up a hill on the outskirts of town, so it’s not exactly a quick and easy journey, but Seungkwan doesn’t mind. Omega Nam Haewon and her beta husband Kang Minjun have been trying to conceive for the better part of two years; Seungkwan was so happy when she finally got pregnant he personally volunteered to conduct home visits every two weeks until she gives birth. Today is the day he’s dropping off Haewon’s delivery pack– a little package of all the things he’ll need to deliver her baby at home. She isn’t due quite yet, but baby seems to be growing a little faster than expected, so the midwives decided to send a delivery pack along early just in case.

It’s a little later in the day than he would normally do a home visit, but since the Kangs live so far out of the way, he prefers to see to all his other patients in town first. It means he’ll probably be biking home in the dark, but that’s alright. Although he’s an omega, nobody would dare lay a finger on a midwife, not in a small town like this– just about every baby born in this town over the last eighty years has been delivered by a midwife of Samshin House. Seungkwan’s only been here for two of those years, but he’s delivered a good few babies himself. His uniform is as good as impenetrable armour, in this town.

He’s nearly at the Kang house when he hears, “Help! Help, someone!”

It’s a man’s voice, frayed with panic, coming from just around the bend in the road. Seungkwan swears and pedals faster, heart already starting to pound faster in his chest.

The scene that greets him when he rounds the corner, thankfully, isn’t as bad as he fears. A car is stopped in the middle of the road. Through the windscreen Seungkwan can see a woman in the driver’s seat, her face scrunched up tight with pain. Omega, from the smell of her. A man– probably the one calling for help– is in the passenger’s seat, clutching her hand tightly. No strong scent; probably a beta. Good– an alpha might react badly to a stranger approaching an omega in his care, especially one in as much distress as this woman is.

Seungkwan wastes no time dismounting his bike and kicking up its stand. “What happened?” he shouts at the man, unlatching his toolbag from his bike as quickly as he dares.

The man’s head shoots up at his voice. “Oh thank god,” he gasps, sounding terrified. “It’s my sister, she just suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and now she won’t answer any of my questions– we need to call an ambulance but I have no signal–”

“You won’t get signal anywhere out here,” Seungkwan says briskly, approaching the driver’s side. He wrenches open the door, and– ah. “Hello. It’s Chwe Sofia-ssi, isn’t it?” He remembers seeing her in clinic– hard to forget the only half-Caucasian in town.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seungkwan can see the man’s mouth fall open with surprise, but he ignores him.

Sofia manages a weak smile. “Hello,” she croaks, then lets out a low moan of pain.

Her brother tightens his grip on her hand, worried. “Gyeolie? What is it, what’s wrong?”

“Your sister is in labour,” Seungkwan tells him, already yanking the lever to push Sofia’s seat as far back as it can go.

“ _Labour_?” the brother yelps. “You’re _pregnant_?!”

Seungkwan ignores him. “Sofia-ssi, we’re going to get you through this, alright? Now, I’m going to need to take a look between your legs just to make sure everything’s progressing smoothly–”

“Whoa, hey, excuse you!” The brother reaches over and pushes Seungkwan away roughly, glaring. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, man?”

Seungkwan’s patience snaps. “Your sister is about to give birth in her car in the middle of a tiny dirt road miles away from any medical facilities, and I am the midwife who is going to do everything in my power to make sure she and her baby make it through this safely!” he snaps at the brother, impatient. “Now be quiet and let me do my work.”

The brother doesn’t say anything, though his mouth hangs open with disbelief. Satisfied with that for the moment, Seungkwan turns his attention back to Sofia. “Sofia-ssi? Are you okay for me to do a vaginal exam?”

Sofia nods her agreement, so Seungkwan pulls on gloves and does a quick exam– waters broken, cervix almost fully dilated. She’s just about ready to give birth, which is really not ideal _in the middle of the road_.

“Poor thing, you must have been in pain for quite some time now,” Seungkwan says to Sofia sympathetically as he pulls off his gloves. “And you were _driving_? Goodness, you’re a tough one.”

Sofia grins. “I’ve made a habit of using Lamaze breathing for my road rage,” she admits, startling a laugh out of Seungkwan. “Thought I could– make it into town– oh _fuck_ –”

“Don’t start pushing quite yet, Sofia-ssi,” Seungkwan warns, palpating her abdomen. Baby’s positioned to come out head-first, thank god. “You’re not quite fully dilated yet. And I need a moment to set things up so baby doesn’t plop out onto your brake pedal! You’re nearly there, just a little bit more Lamaze breathing, alright?”

Sofia nods, eyes screwed shut as she lets out a long breath through her mouth. Seungkwan squeezes her shoulder comfortingly, then turns to the brother. “Brother-nim, I need you to make a call.”

“But you said–”

“Yes, I know I said there’s no signal anywhere out here,” Seungkwan interrupts, “but if you head up the hill there will be a farmhouse on the left where you can get wi-fi. The Kangs live there, Kang Minjun and Nam Haewon, tell them Nurse Boo sent you. Here, take my phone,” he presses his phone into Brother’s hands, “call Jeon Wonwoo on KaTalk. If he doesn’t answer, call Lee Jihoon. Tell them I’m handling it and we’ll head to the maternity hospital as soon as possible.”

Brother gapes at him for a moment, clearly dumbfounded.

“Go!” Seungkwan shooes at him, pulling on his gown in an effort to at least try to minimise the risk of infection. Not that he thinks it’ll help all that much, given that she’s giving birth in her car, but. “You can take my bike, it’s only a twenty-minute ride from here.”

Finally, Brother goes, stumbling over to Seungkwan’s bike and getting on with shaky legs. He pedals furiously up the hill towards the Kang house. Well, Seungkwan thinks, at least now Haewon will know why he was late for her appointment.

The driver’s seat of a car is really not the best place to give birth to a baby, but with the chair pushed all the way back and Sofia’s legs drawn up, there’s just enough space for Seungkwan to slot himself between the seat and the pedals. He’s sitting very awkwardly with his lower half out of the car and his torso twisted to see what he’s doing, but at least he has some room to manoeuvre. He’s laid out a towel and his tools as best he can on some brown paper on the center console, hoping that none of them roll over onto the passenger side.

“Ah, fucking _fucksticks_ , son of a _bitch_ ,” Sofia bites out, hand thrown out to clutch at the upholstery. “Jesus Christ, how do people _do_ this? I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Nobody is going to die, not if I have anything to say about it,” Seungkwan tells her firmly. “Alright, Sofia-ssi, whenever you’re ready, I want you to start pushing.”

Sofia lets out an anguished wail, head thrown back against the headrest. “That’s it, that’s it, keep going,” Seungkwan encourages, reaching up to catch the hand she’s got fisted in her shirt in his. “Come on now– push!”

It’s a long, hard process. Sofia is shouting her head off– understandable, especially since she hasn’t had an epidural or any other pain management, the poor thing. But like Seungkwan said, she’s a tough one, just clings to Seungkwan’s hand for dear life and gives it all she’s got with no complaint.

The sun is setting, and Seungkwan is really starting to get worried about losing visibility in the dark when the baby finally, finally crowns.

“Nearly there, Sofia, I can see baby’s head!” Seungkwan cries over Sofia’s screaming. He squeezes Sofia’s hand tightly before gently pulling it free– he’s going to need both his hands for this. “You’ve done so well, you’re nearly done, just a little more!”

“I am never having sex again!” Sofia vows, before her words turn to screeches with her next contraction.

After that, it’s so quick it’s almost laughable. Just a few more mighty pushes from Sofia, and the head pops out– Seungkwan deftly untangles the umbilical cord from around baby’s neck before it gets strangled– followed in short order by the rest of the body, delivered right into Seungkwan’s waiting arms.

It takes barely three seconds before baby opens its mouth in a loud cry, and both Seungkwan and Sofia can’t help but laugh. “Congratulations, Sofia-ssi!” Seungkwan laughs, drying baby off and swaddling it in the towel before gently setting it down on Sofia’s chest. “You did it, you have a beautiful baby girl!”

“I did it,” Sofia sobs, like she can’t quite believe it. She looks utterly exhausted, hair wet with sweat and sticking to her temples, face red and blotchy– but her expression when she looks down at her newborn baby is one of complete awe.

This is Seungkwan’s favourite part. The sheer joy on the faces of new parents when they meet their children for the first time– it makes his heart feel warm, every single time.

“Hi there, little one,” Sofia whispers, stroking her daughter’s head with a gentle finger. “Hi.”

There’s the screech of brake pads on tyres, the metallic clang of a bicycle being dropped to the ground, and then Brother is back, shoving his head through the open passenger side window, eyes almost comically wide.

“Uh,” he says dumbly, eyes flicking from Sofia, to the baby, to Seungkwan still sat uncomfortably between her legs. “What’d I miss?”

\---

Sofia politely declines taking home the afterbirth, by which Seungkwan means he asked her and she made a completely horrified expression, so once it’s out and everyone’s been given a quick wipe-down, courtesy of the backpack filled with towels that the Kangs had sent along with Brother, Seungkwan gets Brother to carry Sofia and baby into the backseat that they’ve now lined with brown paper to try to save at least some of Sofia’s upholstery. He himself sets about cleaning up the driver’s seat as much as he can. It’s a huge mess, as to be expected from childbirth. Seungkwan does the best he can with some wet wipes, then lays down another couple of towels on the seat, because it’s still a half-hour drive to the maternity hospital.

“Let me,” Brother offers hurriedly, when Seungkwan mentions this. “You’ve done enough already, you must be exhausted– just tell me where to go.”

So Seungkwan gets in the back with Sofia and her new daughter, giving directions to Brother on navigation and Sofia on breastfeeding at the same time. He also calls ahead to the maternity hospital so they know to expect them– there are always people available to attend to them, but it’s always better not to show up unannounced.

It’s completely dark by the time they arrive, but Wonwoo and a nurse are waiting for them outside the maternity hospital with a wheelchair. “Quite an adventure you’ve had there, Sofia-ssi,” Wonwoo tells Sofia, grinning, as Seungkwan and the other nurse carefully help Sofia into the wheelchair, baby tucked carefully in the crook of her arm. “What did I tell you about driving while pregnant?”

“Ah, but Dr Jeon, how else was my brother going to get here?” Sofia argues, grinning back. “Luckily Nurse Boo here happened to be passing by, he’s been an absolute champion.”

“He always is,” Wonwoo says, turning his grin on Seungkwan.

“Just doing my job,” Seungkwan tuts, waving them both off, but he can’t deny he’s touched. “Come on, let’s get you and baby inside, shall we?”

The nurse wheels Sofia into the hospital, Wonwoo at her side. Seungkwan starts to follow, but is stopped by a tug at his wrist.

“Uh, sorry,” Brother says awkwardly, quickly letting go when Seungkwan turns around. “I just, um. Where are they– well, I guess– they’re probably just going to make sure everything’s okay, right, but am I– should I follow, or– how can I find her after…?”

For the first time since meeting him, Seungkwan really _looks_ at him. Brother is tall and broad-shouldered, but the helpless, wide-eyed expression on his face makes him look like a little boy. This must all be a huge shock for him– he hadn’t even known his sister was pregnant, and from the sounds of things Sofia had only just picked him up, probably from the train station the next town over. It’s no wonder the poor guy looks so lost.

Seungkwan takes him by the shoulders gently, giving him a kind smile. “Everything’s alright, don’t you worry,” he reassures Brother. “Look– why don’t you go park the car, then we’ll go in together and I can explain to you what happens next. Okay?”

Brother nods, quiet in a way that reminds Seungkwan of his nephews after he’s patched up their scrapes on the playground. “Okay.” He flashes Seungkwan a shy, lopsided smile. “Thanks.”

Seungkwan smiles back brightly. “My pleasure. Now go on, get the car parked!”

\---

Wonwoo is still examining Sofia and her new baby, so Seungkwan sits Brother down and has him fill in the paperwork for Sofia’s admission. Honestly, they already have most of her information on record, so the receptionist could easily have filled it in, but Seungkwan is hoping having something to do will calm Brother down.

“Hangyeolie!” Brother gasps when they’re finally showed into Sofia’s room, rushing to her bedside. “You scared the shit out of me, god.”

Sofia smiles at him sheepishly. She’s sitting up, looking tired but happy in a clean hospital gown– baby is dozing peacefully in her arms, all clean and pink and swathed snugly in a fresh cotton blanket. Seungkwan makes a note to ask the nurses for the spare towel he’d wrapped baby in earlier.

“You should have told me,” Brother is scolding, even though the hand stroking Sofia’s head is gentle, loving. “You had nine months to tell me!”

Sofia’s smile dims. “I know, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, I did, but… I was just scared of how you’d react.” Her gaze falls to her lap, guilty. “Since… since her father isn’t in the picture.”

Brother lets out a pained noise. The hug he gives Sofia is a little awkward, thanks to their positions and the baby between them, but he tucks her face in the crook of his neck, right where his scent gland is. “Oh, Gyeolie,” he murmurs into her hair. “I would never turn you away because of something like that, you know that.”

Sofia takes a deep, shuddering breath and sinks into her brother’s embrace. “I know,” she whispers back. “I know, I’m sorry.”

Seungkwan smiles, quietly excusing himself and closing the door gently behind him. He’s glad Brother is so accepting. All the midwives have been worried about Sofia– she’s still so young, barely 20 years old, and although she gets along well enough with the neighbours, she lives alone in a tiny old cottage, with no family or partner to support her during and after her pregnancy. She’s been remarkably strong, always smiling brightly, but Seungkwan has known too many single parents to think she hasn’t had her struggles. At least now she has a brother to rely on, one who clearly loves her to pieces.

_I love you, noona_ , he texts both his sisters– because he’s in a sappy mood, okay!– and laughs out loud when his sisters text back, _???? what do you want_ and _are you drinking makgeolli again, brat??_

\---

Seungkwan hunts down his spare towel and sorts out Sofia’s transfer to the confinement centre– she was always going to check in there, from her records, and Seungkwan can’t imagine her brother, bless him, would be able to take care of Sofia, the baby _and_ day-to-day housekeeping all by himself, not to mention any job he might have to go to.

Seungkwan’s on his way to Sofia’s room to bid the Chwe siblings goodbye and give Brother some brochures on What Happens After Birth, when he bumps into Brother.

“Oh, nurse! I thought you’d left already,” says Brother, with a bright smile that shows his pink gums. He really is Sofia’s brother– the two of them have exactly the same smile. “I’m going to pick up some stuff for Sofia– can I give you a lift home?”

So that’s how Seungkwan ends up in Sofia’s little butter-yellow Hyundai, giving a mini-lecture on proper baby care to a beta he barely knows. He’s probably talking a little too much– this always happens when he starts talking about something he feels passionately about– but Brother listens carefully, even asking questions every so often, so Seungkwan doesn’t feel too bad.

“Ah, this is me– just pull up next to the big cherry tree,” Seungkwan interrupts his rambling to say. “Thanks for the ride.” He has to remember to go get his bike tomorrow– there’d been no space in the boot of Sofia’s tiny car, so they’d had to leave it at the side of the road. Seungkwan is off tomorrow so he doesn’t need it urgently, but he should probably go get it first thing in the morning anyway, just in case it gets stolen.

“My pleasure,” Brother says, smiling his gummy smile. “Thank you so much for all you’ve done, nurse.”

Seungkwan smiles back warmly. “No worries, it’s my job! Now it’s up to you to do your part– take care of Sofia-ssi, Brother-nim.”

“Ah– sorry, I just realised I never– it’s Chwe Hansol,” Brother– _Hansol_ – says sheepishly. “My name, I mean.”

Oh– it’s been hours, but Seungkwan hasn’t actually introduced himself either, has he? “I’m Boo Seungkwan, nice to meet you,” Seungkwan laughs, and they shake hands over the center console. “I’ll see you around, Chwe Hansol-ssi.”

“Take care, Nurse Boo Seungkwan,” Hansol grins back, waving as Seungkwan gets out of the car.

Seungkwan gives him a final wave, then makes his way up the path through the front gardens and into Samshin House.

\---

Seungkwan doesn’t even know how the others found out– it was nearly midnight by the time he came home, so they should have been sleeping, and the only one on call was Jihoon, who’s a little older than them and also their boss, so he never engages in idle gossip with the kids.

Nevertheless, when Seokmin slides into the seat across from him at the breakfast table, he’s wearing an unbearably smug, mischievous expression.

Seungkwan squints at him over his bowl of yoghurt. “What,” he grumbles, still sleepy. He’s really only awake and dressed at this hour because he wants to go retrieve his bike. He plans on going straight back to bed the minute he comes back with it.

“Little birdie told me _someone_ came home late with a handsome stranger,” Seokmin says, grinning. “A gentleman suitor, perhaps?”

Seungkwan tuts impatiently. “He wasn’t a _gentleman_ _suitor_ , he was just Chwe Sofia’s brother.”

“Chwe Sofia has a brother?” Minghao asks from across the room, where he’s making coffee.

“Yeah, Chwe Hansol. She picked him up from the train station and went into labour on the way home. I helped deliver the baby in the middle of the road; her brother was so grateful for my help he offered to drive me home.”

“Oh, that’s how it starts,” Seokmin teases, fluttering his eyelashes. “But we’ve all seen the romcoms, we all know what happens when you put a handsome alpha and a cute omega in a confined space. The air goes thick with pheromones… the mood turns cosy, intimate…”

Seungkwan snorts, resisting the urge to flick yoghurt at Seokmin solely because he’s already in uniform and Jihoon will probably actually kill him if he shows up to the morning briefing with a stained shirt. “You’ve been watching too many dramas, hyung. And he’s not an alpha, he’s a beta.”

The bright chime of the doorbell sounds from the hallway.

“Oh– are we expecting anyone?” Seungkwan asks, surprised. It’s just before 7 in the morning, earlier than they usually get any visitors.

“The new gardener, but he’s only meant to be here at 8,” Minghao says.

“Maybe it’s your new boyfriend?” Seokmin leers, wiggling his eyebrows.

Seungkwan makes a big show of rolling his eyes and ignores him. “Why do we have a new gardener, what happened to Grandpa Jin?” he asks, getting up to answer the door.

“His daughter yelled at him for climbing ladders to prune trees at the age of 65– hey, don’t try to change the subject!” Seokmin cries after him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you never denied Chwe Hansol is handsome!”

“Well yeah, I’m not _blind_ ,” Seungkwan calls over his shoulder, unlocking the front door. “Yes, Chwe Hansol is handsome, I’m not about to pretend like he isn’t just to spite you, now be quiet, we have a guest!” He pulls open the door with a bright, friendly smile. “Hello, Samshin House, how can I h–”

The words die in Seungkwan’s throat. Standing in front of him is one Chwe Hansol, every bit as tall and broad-shouldered and– yes, okay– _handsome_ as last night. Even more so, actually, with the way the morning sun behind him forms a golden-brown halo around his head.

“Um,” Seungkwan squeaks, because oh my god, did he just hear Seungkwan loudly proclaiming how handsome he is? “Um, hi. What are you doing here? Is– Is Sofia-ssi okay?”

“Oh, yeah, no, she’s– she’s great,” Hansol says quickly, just flustered enough that Seungkwan thinks, shit, he probably _did_ hear every word Seungkwan just said. God, he is going to _murder_ Lee Seokmin!

“Great, that’s great to hear,” Seungkwan says breezily, pretending absolutely nothing is wrong. He can’t hear the giggling from the kitchen, nope. “So, then, what are you…?”

Hansol scratches his neck awkwardly. “Ah, I just came by to, uh–” He steps aside, gesturing behind him to the road. Sofia’s little yellow Hyundai is there, of course, and–

“My bike!” Seungkwan gasps. He turns to Hansol with wide eyes. “You went to get my bike?”

Hansol shrugs, faintly pink. “It was nothing. I mean, you need it to get around, right? I figured you couldn’t work without it.”

“I mean, yes, but– I could’ve gone to get it myself, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Seungkwan says, amazed. “At such an early hour, too! Thank you so much, oh my god.”

“Ah, not a problem, I was heading to work anyway,” Hansol says, almost– shy? “Although, um, I’m not sure– this is Samshin House, right? Grandpa Jin sent me, are you expecting–”

Seungkwan’s stomach drops. “A gardener?” he finishes. “ _You’re_ the new gardener?”

“Um, yes?” Hansol says, and visibly startles when the giggles behind Seungkwan turn into full-on guffaws.

Seungkwan heaves a big sigh. This is going to be his life now, embarrassing himself in front of cute boys and being teased for it at every single opportunity. “C’mon,” he tells Hansol, stepping past him onto the porch. “I’ll show you where we keep our gardening tools…”

God, Seokmin is never going to let him live this one down.

**Author's Note:**

> i know ABO is usually the porny / possessive stuff but i... am using it to write about midwifery lol
> 
> look BBC Call the Midwife is an amazing show and i love it to pieces and it just so happens i'm only writing for svt rn so this was really an inevitable consequence. the ABO is really a vehicle for me to talk about childbirth and parenthood and midwives lol
> 
> PLEASE rest assured that although there are male omegas who can give birth everyone who is capable of giving birth has a birthing canal okay, there are no assbabies here i could never live with myself. just... just assume everyone who gives birth here possesses a vagina okay for the sake of my sanity
> 
> Samshin House is named so after Samsin Halmoni, the korean goddess of childbirth.
> 
> (i am also not a medical expert, i'm not even a medical student or anything, so please allow me some poetic license when it comes to these things tqvm hahha)
> 
> thanks for reading! there is no definite direction this story is going in but so far i'm thinking it's just gonna be, like, following the midwives and their patients as they live their lives. more characters will be introduced as we go!
> 
> please drop your thoughts in the comments or hmu on my twitter @mysterywoozi! i like the attention so please feel free to say as much or as little as you like~


End file.
